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Mnangagwa: Zimbabwe's 'Crocodile' could be as authoritarian as Mugabe

Emmerson Mnangagwa who will take over as Zimbabwe's next president, is a hardliner with ties to the military

Supporters of Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man expected to become Zimbabwe's new president, hold a photograph of him as they arrive to show their support at Manyame Air Force base where Mnangagwa is expected to arrive later in the day in Harare, Zimbabwe Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. Mugabe resigned as president with immediate effect Tuesday after 37 years in power, shortly after parliament began impeachment proceedings against him. Ben Curtis / AP Photo

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Nicknamed "the Crocodile" for his ruthlessness, Emmerson Mnangagwa who will take over as Zimbabwe's next president, is a hardliner with ties to the military who could prove as authoritarian as his mentor Robert Mugabe.

It was his political ambition to take over which set off a bitter succession battle between him and Grace Mugabe, the president's 52-year-old wife, triggering the crisis that toppled the autocrat, who resigned on Tuesday.

When Mr Mnangagwa was dismissed as vice president by Mugabe on November 6, it initially looked like he had been outfoxed by the first lady, forcing him to flee the country.

But the situation quickly turned on its head, with his dismissal triggering a military takeover and mass street protests, which ended with Mugabe's ouster and Mr Mnangagwa pushed to centre stage.

With the nation still reeling from Mugabe's demise, the 75-year-old was to make a triumphant return home on Wednesday and be sworn in as president on Friday.

A former close Mugabe ally, Mr Mnangagwa's fall from grace appears to have been engineered by the first lady, who lobbied her husband to back her own political ambitions.

It was the climax of a long feud between the pair over who would replace the ailing and increasingly frail 93-year-old leader.